1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cigarette package which can be used both for extinguishing lighted cigarettes or butts, and for disposing of such butts.
2. Prior Art
Cigarettes are usually disposed of either in ashtrays or outdoors on the ground, or sometimes in lakes or streams, with results which are unsatisfactory both aesthetically and environmentally. Outdoors, the butts not only create a litter problem, but sometimes cause forest fires. Indoors, the discarded butts are unsightly and, when not properly extinguished, give off fumes. Ashtrays containing smoldering cigarettes are sometimes emptied into waste containers with resulting fires.
Proposals have been made in the past for portable ashtrays, and for portable devices, referred to as "snuffers", which can be used to extinguish burning cigarettes. In some cases the snuffer is combined with a cigarette case. Also, some cigarette packages or cases have been designed with ashtrays or means for holding used cigarette butts. Packages or cases having such constructions are shown in the following patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,606,562, issued Aug. 12, 1952 to Siegel;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,096,878, issued Jul. 9, 1963 to Whitely et al.;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,976, issued Jun. 17, 1980 to Herman; and
U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,496, issued Oct. 9, 1990 to Focke et al.
The Siegel and Herman patents show cigarette cases which are of relatively expensive, molded plastic construction, seemingly not intended to be disposable. The Siegel case will extinguish burning cigarette butts, but will not store them. The Herman case will both extinguish and store the butts; the case with the used butts is intended to be returned to the retailer for replacement with a new, filled case. This obviously poses special marketing requirements.
The Whitley et al patent shows a disposable cigarette package which has a portion acting as an ashtray, but this construction will not store the cigarette butt.
The Focke et al patent shows a disposable package of generally conventional paperboard construction, in which a partition is provided between the space having unused cigarettes and another space which can receive the used butts. It is stated that this partition can be made of flame resistant material, such as aluminum foil, which allows for inserting butts which have not been completely extinguished. However, it would seem that a burning cigarette butt when inserted would likely contact other butts already present and cause additional combustion.
Accordingly, none of these patents provides a low cost, disposable cigarette package which is capable of receiving burning cigarette butts, extinguishing them, and also storing them until the package is finished and is disposed of.